A MODIFIED HEXAGRAM RITUAL FOR ENOCHIAN WORKINGS.
Copyright 1988, 1992 by Benjamin Rowe
0.1 Tools, costume, etc.:
A. White robe for theurgic works
B. Black for thaumaturgic works
C. Wand for general use or sword
D. Elemental wand, cup, etc. as appropriate
E. Lamen of the work, or general lamen.
1.0 Using wand or sword, circle and seal the area of work. Deosil for
theurgic workings, widdershins for thaumaturgic.
1.1 Return to the center of the circle, face east.
Declare to the universe:
"AMGEDPHA!"
1.2 Extend arms to the East, and do several deep breaths, drawing
energy from the East and diffusing it throughout the aura.
2.1 Do sign of Harpocrates, then hold wand or sword vertical before
the chest, other arm down at side.
2.2 Recite:
"I. N. R. I."
(Concentrate the energy in the aura above the top of the head. As
the letters are spoken, draw it down to activate certain chakras in
turn:
I - Top-of-head and ajna chakras
N - Throat chakra
R - Heart chakra
I - Chakras below the diaphragm (excluding Solar Plexus)
2.3 Draw all the energy down into the chakra at the base of the
spine.
2.4 Recite:
"Yod, Resh, Nun, Yod"
(Visualize the energy moving up the spine and both side-channels,
activating the chakras in reverse order of point 2.2)
2.5 Recite:
"Isis, Horus, Set, Thoth"
(The energy fountains out the top of the head in four streams and
diffuses back into the aura.)
3.1 Recite:
"The passage of Man through the Earth."
"The passage from Earth to the Stars."
3.2 For theurgic works, recite:
"Isis, Nature, innocent blindness"
"Horus, Warrior, the struggling soul"
"Set, Apostate, seeking the spirit"
"Thoth, the Wise One, encompassing all!"
For thaumaturgic works, recite:
"Thoth, star-namer, decreeing the pattern"
"Set, destroyer, dividing the poles"
"Horus, sun-king, providing the power"
"Isis transformed is the manifest goal!"
(Assume the god-form of each god before speaking her/his line.)
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For General Invocations or Banishings:
4.0 Recite the First Enochian Call.
4.1 Go the East. Draw hexagram of Air.
Vibrate: EXARP, ORO IBAH AOZPI
Project through the hexagram, into the realm of Air. Try to see
or sense the inhabitants gathering about, attracted by your arrival.
Absorb as much energy from them as possible and draw it back into the
circle.
4.2 Go to the South. Draw the hexagram of Water.
Vibrate: HCOMA, MPH ARSL GAIOL
Project through the hexagram into the realm of Water. Try to see
or sense the inhabitants gathering around you, attracted by your
arrival. Absorb as much energy from them as possible and draw it back
into the circle.
4.3 Go to the West. Draw the hexagram of Fire.
Vibrate: BITOM, OIP TEAA PDOCE
(Project through the hexagram into the realm of Fire. Try to
sense the inhabitants gathering around, attracted by your arrival.
Absorb as much energy as possible and draw it back into the circle.)
4.4 Go to the North. Draw the hexagram of Earth.
Vibrate: NANTA, MOR DIAL HCTGA
(Project through the hexagram into the realm of Earth. Try to see
or sense the inhabitants as before. Absorb as much energy as possible
and draw it back into the circle.)
4.5 Return to the East to complete the circle.
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For invocations of the four Seniors or Kings associated with a par-
ticular planet.
5.0 Recite the First Enochian Call.
5.1 Go to the East. Make hexagram of Air.
Vibrate EXARP, ORO IBAH AOZPI
Make hexagram of the planet.
Vibrate the name of the corresponding Senior from the Air Tablet.
In this and the following three points, project through the
hexagrams to the realm ruled by that Senior. Attempt to see him
standing before you, or to at least sense his presence. Make note of
any beings or images that do appear. Whether you see him or not, call
him to come to you in your circle. Absorb as much energy as you can
and draw it back into the circle.
5.2 Go to the South. Make hexagram of Water.
Vibrate HCOMA, MPH ARSL GAIOL
Make hexagram of the planet.
Vibrate the name of the corresponding Senior from the Water
Tablet.
Project into the Senior's realm as before.
5.3 Go to the West. Make hexagram of Fire.
Vibrate BITOM, OIP TEAA PDOCE
Make hexagram of the planet.
Vibrate the name of the corresponding Senior from the Fire
Tablet.
Project into the Senior's realm as before.
5.4 Go to the North. Make hexagram of Earth.
Vibrate NANTA, MOR DIAL HCTGA
Make hexagram of the planet.
Vibrate the name of the corresponding Senior from the Earth
Tablet.
Project into the Senior's realm as before.
5.5 Complete the circle by returning to the East.
(To invoke a single Senior, recite the Call of the Element after
the First Call. The make his elemental and planetary hexagrams in all
four quarters instead of a single quarter as above.)
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For invoking all the Seniors of a particular Tablet
6.0 Recite the First Enochian Call, and the Call of the element being
invoked.
6.1 Go to the East. Make hexagram of the element.
Vibrate the corresponding Tablet of Union name, and Three Names
of God.
Make the hexagram of Venus.
Invoke the corresponding Senior.
(For this and each of the following points, project through the
hexagram of the planet into the corresponding planetary realm. Gather
as much energy as you can and draw it back into the circle by an act
of will. The energy should appear to well up out of the center of the
hexagram, illuminating the circle with light of the planet's color.)
6.2 Go to the South-Southwest. Make the hexagram of the element.
Vibrate the corresponding Tablet of Union name, and Three Names
of God.
Make the hexagram of Mercury.
Vibrate the name of the corresponding Senior.
6.3 Go to the North-Northwest. Make the hexagram of the element.
Vibrate the corresponding Tablet of Union name, and Three Names
of God.
Make the hexagram of Jupiter.
Vibrate the name of the corresponding Senior.
6.4 Complete the first triangle by returning East.
6.5 Go to the West. Make the hexagram of the element.
Vibrate the corresponding Tablet of Union name, and Three Names
of God.
Make the hexagram of Mars.
Vibrate the name of the corresponding Senior.
6.6 Go to the North-Northeast. Make the hexagram of the element.
Vibrate the corresponding Tablet of Union name, and Three Names
of God.
Make the hexagram of Luna/Earth.
Vibrate the name of the corresponding Senior.
6.7 Go to the South-Southeast. Make the hexagram of the element.
Vibrate the corresponding Tablet of Union name, and Three Names
of God.
Make the hexagram of Saturn.
Vibrate the name of the corresponding Senior.
6.8 Complete the second triangle by returning to the West.
6.9 Return East. Circumambulate, going directly from each point to the
next to form a hexagon, gathering up the powers of the planets as each
hexagram is passed. Go deosil for theurgic workings, widdershins for
thaumaturgic workings.
6.10 Upon reaching the East again, move to the center of the circle,
spinning about the body's vertical axis as you go. Spin in the same
direction as the circumambulation.
(As you spin, the planetary energies should be seen as forming a
multicolored vortex about you. When you reach the center, release the
vortex and fix it in place there.)
6.11 Move slightly away from the center and turn to face it.
Draw the hexagram of the element in the middle of the vortex.
Vibrate the corresponding Tablet of Union name, and Three Names
of God.
Draw the hexagram of Sol in the middle of the vortex.
Vibrate the Name of the corresponding "Elemental King".
(As the name of the King is vibrated, the hexagram in the center
of the circle should draw in the gathered energy and catalyze it so
that it all transforms into a brilliant white radiance.)
=================================================================
7.1 Return to the center of the circle.
7.2 For theurgic works, recite:
"Isis, Nature, innocent blindness"
"Horus, Warrior, the struggling soul"
"Set, Apostate, seeking the spirit"
"Thoth, the Wise One, encompassing all!"
For thaumaturgic works, recite:
"Thoth, star-namer, decreeing the pattern"
"Set, destroyer, dividing the poles"
"Horus, sun-king, providing the power"
"Isis transformed is the manifest goal!"
(Assume the god-form of each god before speaking her/his line.)
7.3 Speak: "IAD, GEMEGANZA"
7.4 Silence the mind and perceive the result of the work.
Comments
0.0 I had two main objectives in writing this ritual. The first was
to adjust the symbolism of the G.D. version so that it fully reflected
the INRI formula. While the G.D. version starts with INRI, the primary
symbolism is based on the formula of IAO. These two formulas are
superficially similar but far apart in their detailed symbolism and
areas of applicability.
IAO is a generalized formula of consecration. One takes a material
basis (I = Isis = nature or matter) and applies a magickal energy to
it (A = Apophis = energy), raising its rate of vibration and producing
an influential radiance (O = Osiris = Sol). There are specialized
interpretations for specific methods of working, but most of them can
be reduced to this general description of the process. A study of the
G.D. rituals shows that they made no distinction between an initiatory
ritual applied to a human candidate and a consecration ritual to
charge a talisman. The candidate was considered to be mere "base
matter" whose nature could only be changed by application of an
external force.
On the other hand, INRI is a both a creative and an initiatory formu-
la. As a creative formula, it shows the steps in the creative process
as they are performed by either a man or a god. As an initiatory
formula, it describes the stages of the path of initiation as they are
experienced by the individual who is actively seeking to raise his own
level of consciousness, not as a passive recipient of external force,
but as the instigator and prime mover of the work. Beyond this, INRI
reflects processes that are at the root of all human behavior and have
pervaded every area of human activity at least since the beginning of
our recorded history.
The symbolism of INRI is dealt with briefly further on in these
comments. An expanded treatment of the formula is presented in my
paper Set / Horus, for those who wish to consult it.
My second objective in revising the Hexagram ritual was to produce a
version that was suitable for use with the Enochian Calls. This
current version uses only Enochian divine names, and the symbolism of
the circle and directions has been modified to conform more closely to
that given in Dee's records of the Enochian magickal system. Complete
conformity is not possible, since Dee's interpretations are sometimes
contradictory. But I have selected out of his interpretations those
that seem most consistent.
0.1 For daily use, the tools and accoutrements should be kept simple.
One wand, robe, and lamen are sufficient. Robe and lamen may also be
dispensed with under most circumstances. Dee's lamen is appropriate to
this work, since it is derived from the names of angels of the plan-
ets.
For this work, "theurgic" is meant to include any work for self-
initiatory purposes, any work to generate links between the magician
and more evolved beings (or to invoke such beings to visible appear-
ance), any work in which the magician himself is the object to which
the invoked forces are to be applied. "Thaumaturgic" includes all
works done with intent to influence mundane events and objects, or
persons in their mundane capacities; all works of invoking non-mater-
ial beings of less than a human level of evolution (demons, elemen-
tals, Enochian "cacodemons"); consecrations of talismans and other
works involving a material basis other than the magician.
1.0 The symbolism of motion around the circle varies slightly from
traditional usage. Both banishings and invocations can involve motion
in either direction. It is the intent of the work that determines the
direction used. The directions chosen here follow a consistent pattern
expressed by the Enochian spirits in my contacts with them. When
speaking of circular motion in relation to mundane or external events
they always refer to motion in the same direction as the Sun's motion
around the zodiac, which is widdershins when viewed from the Earth's
northern hemisphere. When speaking of circular motion in relation to
initiation or spiritual evolution, they always refer to motion in the
direction of the precession of the equinoxes, which is deosil.
1.1 The Enochian word declares the commencement of the ritual.
"Amgedpha" means "I begin anew". This is one of the words spoken by a
god at the beginning of any cycle of creation.
2.1 The position of the wand indicates that the flow of energy in
this section of the ritual will be in the vertical direction, as
opposed to horizontal or cyclical motion.
2.2 - 2.5 INRI is a reversible formula. That is, it is equally valid
when read from either end. The standard form of the formula in the
first spoken line is the creative or "involutionary" version, repre-
senting power descending into manifestation from the Godhead. The
reversed form in the second spoken line is the initiatory or "evol-
utionary" version, representing the re-ascent of man from complete
involvement with matter back to the Godhead. Thus the two together
represent one complete cycle of existence.
The chakras activated as each letter is spoken are the correspondences
in the body to the principles represented by the letters. They also
roughly correspond to the parts of the Tree of Life with which each of
the letters is connected. The activation of the chakras in the order
shown should also remind the magician of the cycle of in-breathing and
out-breathing of energy in pranayama, which is representative of the
same universal cycle in the symbolism of the Eastern initiatory
systems.
In point 2.5, the four principles of INRI are elaborated by their
divine correspondences. The passage of the energy back out of the head
in four streams represents the idea that from a cosmic viewpoint the
entire Tree of Life is but the physical plane of some higher-order
system, and that the manifestation of these principles must have its
origin in corresponding activities within that larger system.
3.1 - 3.2 The evolutionary form, IRNI, describes both the characteris-
tic stages of the life of a man in the world ("the passage of man
through the Earth"), and the four major stages of the initiatory
journey ("the passage from Earth to the Stars").
The first verse in point 3.2 describes these four stages in terms of
the classic "Hero's Life" mythos. In its simplest form, this pattern
is present in most hero tales from nearly all past cultures. The hero
is normally the child of a king, who has been hidden away for his
protection during childhood. He grows up ignorant of his future
destiny (first "I", Earth). At some point he is made aware of that
destiny, and begins the struggle to make it real. After various
battles and confrontations, he wins and becomes the King ("R", Mars-
Sol). At the height of his accomplishment he dies or is betrayed and
killed ("N", Scorpio). After death, he rises to heaven and becomes a
god (last "I", Mercury or Thoth). King Arthur is typical of this
mythos. The story of Christ also follows the pattern, save that his
powers are magickal rather than martial.
A slightly more sophisticated version is shown in the history of
Siddhartha, the Buddha. Having gone through the first two stages and
become a ruling prince, Siddhartha is suddenly exposed to the suffer-
ing that is the burden of the people he rules. He sees that some of
their suffering was inadvertently caused by himself, and much more of
it can not be alleviated even by his princely powers. This revelation
affects him so strongly that he abandons all his possessions and
powers and goes into the wastelands, dedicating himself to discovering
the solution to suffering. He spends years concentrating on the work
to the exclusion of all else. (Suffering, rejection of the past, and
intense concentration are all aspects of Scorpio.)
Eventually he succeeds and attains wisdom. He then goes about telling
others of the principles and techniques necessary to achieving the
freedom that he has attained. (Wisdom = Thoth as god of Chokmah,
spreading of the methods = Mercury as god of communication. Note also
that Buddha's methods are primarily intellectual, again equating to
Mercury.)
The Grail Knights show a Christianized version of the Buddha's story,
in their rejection of earthly glory in favor of going through the
trials that lead to heavenly glory. Like the Buddha, they voluntarily
leave the King's palace, and go into the wastelands in search of their
goal.
In the life of the typical "traveler on the Path", these four mythical
stages correspond to four psychological stages:
First "I" - the period of normal human life-in-the-world, in which the
person sees himself primarily as an earthly or physical being, with
the "spirit" or "God" or "Savior" as something outside himself.
"R" - That period when the individual's soul begins to make itself
felt. The person is thrown into a state of conflict, a constant fight,
as his soul struggles to overcome the inertia of his earthly person-
ality and gain control of the lower being. Eventually the Soul suc-
ceeds in overcoming the personality and becomes the ruler of the
incarnate being.
"N" - The soul spends a period of time, often several lifetimes,
enjoying its power and the additional influence it has over its
affairs in the manifest worlds. But eventually the novelty fades, and
the soul begins to perceive that it is not the true ruler of its own
actions, that its supposed freedom is largely illusory. It perceives
that its existence is the result of the dynamic tension between the
material worlds and the power of the spirit. In order to achieve true
freedom it sees that must throw off all of that part of itself that
derives from the material pole of existence, and become one with the
spiritual pole. Since its very existence in its present form results
from the interaction of spirit and matter, the act of throwing off the
influence of the material portion of its being must inevitably result
in the destruction of that form. Hence the symbolism of Death that
prevails in descriptions of this stage.
Last "I" - Becoming detached from the material side frees the former
soul from the wheel of birth and death, and it becomes the Universal
Mercury, conscious intelligence free of any individual characterist-
ics; fluid, perfectly adaptable in the Mercurial manner. Eventually it
frees itself entirely by drawing itself to a point (the Yod as the
Point of Kether), and vanishes from the worlds of our Tree of Life
entirely.
3.2 The second of the two verses in point 3.2 expresses the creative
form of INRI, in which the flow of power is from Kether down to
Malkuth. Briefly put:
Thoth is god of the sphere of the fixed stars, which is also the
sphere of the Word, or primal pattern on which the eventual manifesta-
tion is based.
Set is the god ruling the part of the Tree wherein lies the so-called
"Abyss", which is the interface between the essential unity of the
supernal triad and the inherent duality of the Ruach. In one myth, Set
tears Osiris to pieces and buries the pieces in the Earth. Similarly,
in transforming the divine Word into its "material" equivalent in the
Ruach, its unity must be translated into paired dualities, or comple-
mentary ideas. Thus he "divides the poles".
Horus as a Solar god relates all these divided pieces of the Word to
each other, coordinating them into a form which reflects their origin-
al intent as closely as is possible within the lower worlds. He
produces the soul-form on which the eventual manifestation will be
based. His coordinating and activating power draws the matter of the
lower worlds into a "magnetic alignment" with the solar form.
Isis represents the matter that is drawn to the solar form, which in
turn draws more matter to itself, absorbing the power of the solar
form, slowing it, and eventually producing a concrete manifestation of
the original intent.
4.0 - 6.11 Concerning the elements and the four directions:
Dee perceived the magickal circle as a representation in two dimen-
sions of the three-dimensional sphere of the heavens, in much the same
way as a horoscope chart.1 A horoscope is a representation of the
fusion of macrocosm and microcosm at one specific point in time. Since
we are attempting to produce a manifestation of the representatives of
the macrocosmic forces in the Tablets, this symbolism seems very
appropriate. The four directions in the circle become the four "an-
gles" of the horoscope, with the east being the ascendant, the west
the descendant, the south the midheaven and the north the nadir.
Because the "angles" of the magickal circle are at right angles to
each other, they will always fall into one of the zodiacal quadrupli-
cities, and therefore each angle will always be in a sign whose
element is different from the other three. The relative positions of
the four elements will always be the same. If we start with Air, then
the next angle deosil will always be Water, next after that Fire, and
last Earth.
The decision to assign the elements to the angles as is done in this
ritual stems from several considerations:
a) Since this ritual is primarily intended for invoking planetary
forces, the elements should be treated according to their "heavenly"
positions, as they are in relation to each other in the zodiac, rather
than in their traditional mundane directions.
b) The element of Earth should be placed in the north because the
planet Earth is always, by definition, in the nadir of a horoscope.
c) The element of Air should be in the East, because it is tradition-
ally assigned to this direction, and because Air is the "highest" of
the elements in the ordering of the Enochian system and thus should be
the first of the four invoked. Also, the ascendant of the horoscope
represents the coming of new things into the person's sphere of
awareness, and an Air sign, Aquarius, is the zodiacal attribute of the
incoming astrological "Age". The two elements of Water and Fire are
then attributed to the remaining directions according to their posi-
tions in a zodiacal quadruplicity.
This arrangement works well in practice, but is not "locked in stone".
One could find good excuses for using other arrangements. The G.D.
arrangement treats the four directions as representing the equinoxes
and solstices, so would be equally appropriate. Or one could follow
one of Dee's arrangements and attribute the elements to the quarters
between the angles rather than to the angles themselves.
In section 6, this foursquare arrangement is abandoned, in favor of
another based on the relative positions of the Seniors in any one of
the Tablets. The upper and lower arms of the Great Cross of the Tablet
are simply separated into their two "lines" or columns and bent
outwards to make a six-pointed figure. The planets are grouped with
the astrologically "masculine" planets to the west and the astrologi-
cally "feminine" planets to the east, with complementary planets
balanced against each other across the circle. By invoking the planets
in two sets of three rather than going in order around the circle, a
balance is maintained between the two polarities. Also note that each
triad contains planets that are correspondences (within a purely
astrological viewpoint) of the alchemical principles of sulphur -
mercury - salt.
4.0 - 6.11 Miscellaneous remarks
Section 4: The intent of this section is to invoke the most macrocos-
mic (and therefore most generalized) form of the powers. The Tablet of
Union names invoke the spirit of the elements. Each of the Three Names
of God for the elements corresponds to an astrological sign, and all
four sets together make up the Zodiac.
There are actually two zodiacal correspondences for each name, which
are used in different circumstances. The reasons for this are too
complicated to go into here. For this ritual, the following table
shows the correspondences to be used.
Mutable Fixed Cardinal
Air ORO IBAH AOZPI
Water MPH ARSL GAIOL
Earth MOR DIAL HCTGA
Fire OIP TEAA PDOCE
When projecting into the elemental realms, it would be fitting to
visualize symbols appropriate to the zodiacal attributes as an added
attractant for the inhabitants. The purpose behind the attempt to see
or sense these inhabitants is to create mental links between them and
the magician, and to strengthen any links previously established. It
is by means of these links that the knowledge embodied in the Tablets
can be acquired.
It is quite common for an invocation of the Names of God to attract a
myriad of small elementals. But they do not have much energy to spare,
and are useless as sources of information. Their presence is a sign of
success in performing the ritual, but it is the more highly developed
"angelic" beings that should be sought during the projections.
When using the ritual for banishing, the energy brought into the
circle should be visualized as flushing any undesirable influences out
of the circle, and then leaving the circle itself by the hexagram
through which it came.
Section 5: For purposes of this section, the Solar Kings of the
Tablets are treated as if they were Seniors of Sol.
7.3 The words mean "God, your will be [or "is"] done." They serve as
a formal indication of the end of the ceremony.
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Note:
Several diagrams drawn by Dee in the course of developing the Enochian
system show this horoscopic interpretation. But it is not known to me
whether the Angels who provided the system agreed with him. It should
be noted that the current arrangement does not follow any of the three
or four different arrangements recorded by Dee.
-oOo-